1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an arrangement for electrically conductively connecting two superconductive strip-shaped electrical conductors having at least approximately the same width, wherein the two conductors rest against each other with their end faces at a connecting point, and wherein a strip of superconductive material is soldered to both conductors which extends over both conductors so as to cover the connecting point. (Publication of American Company at AMSC from the year 2010, “Guidelines for and—Assembled Splicing of Amperium Wire,” Pages 1 to 7).
2. Description of Related Art
Materials suitable for superconductive conductors are, for example, oxidic materials on the basis of rare earths (ReBCO), particularly YBCO (yttrium-barium-copper oxide) or BSCCO (bismuth-strontium-calcium-copper oxide). Magnesium boride is also known as a superconductive material. Superconductive conductors of the mentioned materials can be manufactured with relatively great length. For manufacturing superconductive cables, the conductors are wound, for example, around a core or another substrate. A conductor having the appropriate length is required for a continuous manufacture of a superconductive cable. It may then be necessary that two or more lengths of the superconductive conductor must be electrically conductively connected to each other. Such a connection of two sections of a conductor must also be carried out when a damaged portion of the conductor has to be cut out, or when the conductor tears during the manufacture.
Arrangements of this type are disclosed in the above mentioned publication of the company AMSC for superconductive conductors, in which the superconductive material is mounted on a buffer layer which is, in turn, placed on a carrier layer. Consequently, two superconductive conductors can be connected to each other by turning one of the conductors about 180° and placing its superconductive layer onto the superconductive layer of the other conductor. The two conductors are then soldered together. Another possibility is to position the two conductors with their end faces against each other and to solder a rectangular strip of superconductive material onto the two conductors, wherein the strip has at least approximately the same width as the two conductors. In both cases the connecting point between the two conductors is relatively stiff, so that the bending capability of the conductor is negatively affected.
3. Objects and Summary
The invention is based on the object of configuring the above described arrangement in such a way that the bending capability of the superconductive conductor at the connecting points is improved.
In accordance with the invention, this object is met in that a strip is used which has approximately the same width as the conductors only in the region of the connecting point between the two conductors, and becomes narrower on both sides of the connecting point facing away from the connecting point.
The two conductors are sufficiently tightly connected at their connecting point by the strip because the strip has approximately the same width as the conductors in the area of the connecting point. The bending capability of the single-piece conductor manufactured with the strip is significantly improved by the narrowing of the strip on both sides of the connecting point because due to the narrowing less material may have to be bent. Since with increasing distance from the connecting point the strip has an increasing distance from the side edges of the two conductors which are connected to each other and the danger of damage to the layers shaped around the conductor is additionally reduced, for example, during the manufacture of a superconductive cable.
Particularly advantageously the strip narrows with a conical pattern symmetrically relative to the center line of the conductor. Its ends are preferably rounded. The border areas of the strip are additionally constructed thinner than the central portion.